


Secret of Ears

by Higuchimon



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Daiken Week 2020, Diversity Writing Challenge, Include The Word Boot Camp, M/M, This is a breeds-verse, Word Counts Set Boot Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24618610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates.  It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.
Relationships: Ichijouji Ken/Motomiya Daisuke | Davis Motomiya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Daiken Week 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Secret of Ears  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** One|| **Words:** 1,502|| **Total:** 1,502  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke/Kaiser x Daisuke, H21, K rated; Include The Word Boot Camp, #48, strap; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #28, 8,326; DaiKen Week 2020, hurt/comfort  
 **Notes:** This is a breeds-AU. Unlike most breeds Aus… well, we’ll get into that. But Ken, Daisuke, and Miyako aren’t aware of what they are yet. That will come soon. This is set about four years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon & ignores Tri, Kizuna, & the epilogue – except for Ken and Daisuke going on ramen dates.  
 **Summary:** Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates. It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.

* * *

Ken carefully arranged his hair so that it fell over his ears, checking his reflection. The tips still pointed out of his hair, but not enough that anyone would call attention to them. He nodded; just the way that he liked them. 

“Why do you hide those, Ken-chan?” Wormmon asked, peering up from where he sat on the back of the toilet. 

Ken rested his hands over his ears for a few seconds before he turned to look at his partner. “Haven’t you seen other humans’ ears?” 

Wormmon tilted his head, considering. “Well, yes. Yours aren’t like those.” 

“I know.” Ken looked back at the reflection before he reached to pick Wormmon up and settle him on his shoulders. “But that’s why I don’t want people to see them.” 

His ears were just _different_. The skin on them was paler than the rest of his body. But that really wasn’t the problem. He wouldn’t have cared if that was the only issue. They were pointed. Far more so than anyone else’s that he’d ever seen. He could keep his hair over the ends most of the time. No one had said anything about them for ages. 

Though he did remember – long ago, when he’d been young, before his hair grew out to cover them. He didn’t remember the kid’s name, but one kid he’d played with at a park had – he shuddered just at the memory before he carried Wormmon out of the bathroom and into the living room. 

Daisuke lay on the couch in the living room, V-mon next to him, chatting about the latest soccer scores with Ken’s dad. His dad didn’t play soccer, but he’d learned enough about it when Ken had to keep up with Daisuke. 

“Ken!” Daisuke jerked up to his feet and grinned the moment Ken entered the room, previous conversation forgotten. “What took you so long?” 

Ken just shook his head, ever so carefully. Daisuke knew about his ears but he never said a word about them. He never had, not since Ken started doing his best to be a better person. 

“Are you ready?” Ken asked instead of answering. Daisuke wouldn’t press. He never did. 

“Sure.” Daisuke waved at Ken’s dad, who waved back at him. “We can finish later?” 

“Sure!” Mr. Ichijouji nodded. “You boys have fun and behave yourselves!” 

Ken fought back a blush. His parents were well aware that the two of them weren’t _only_ best friends. He thought they were a little sad that they’d never have biological grandchildren but Ken hadn’t ruled out the idea of adopting one day. He hadn’t talked about it with Daisuke or Wormmon, though. They were fifteen. There was so much time ahead of them. 

Together the four of them headed out of the building. Daisuke chattered relentlessly the whole way, about at least half a dozen different topics, and Ken knew he was only required to nod and smile at the right points. He did listen, though. He loved hearing Daisuke babble about whatever was on his mind. 

Right now it was ramen – which wasn’t a surprise since they were going out to have a ramen lunch. Daisuke insisted that he would have a ramen restaurant of his own one day and he searched for ramen all over the world. Ken didn’t even remember how many times he’d been taken out for ramen anymore. At least it was delicious – and Daisuke’s own cooking got better every time. 

“You know, your ears aren’t that strange,” Daisuke said without warning. Ken stumbled over his own feet, catching himself, and staring at Daisuke. 

“Where did that come from?” He raised one hand to make sure his hair remained tucked over the tips, while his other made sure Wormmon remained safe. Both those situations settled in his favor, he stared at Daisuke. 

“I was just thinking, that’s all.” Daisuke shrugged. “I even know someone who has ears like that. Someone who isn’t you, I mean.” 

Ken blinked, mouth working but not actually having nay words come out. He shook his head. No one else had those. He would have noticed – wouldn’t he? 

“Yeah. You know him too.” 

Ken didn’t have the chance to ask more questions, since they came to the train and they both had to worry with getting their tickets out and finding the right train. Once they got settled on their seats, he glanced around, not wanting anyone else to overhear this. While Digimon were known and the world remained in the process of adjusting to the existence of a fellow sapient species, there were always those who weren’t happy about it. He also suspected this conversation might bring up his past as the Kaiser and he _really_ didn’t want that to be brought up around people who didn’t know. 

There weren’t that many people around them right now. One little girl had her own Digimon partner, but no one else there seemed partnered. Ken nodded to himself, then turned to Daisuke, opening his mouth. 

“Ichijouji? Is that you?” 

It was a voice he didn’t recognize right away. But he wasn’t surprised that people he didn’t know knew his name – the remnants of fame clung to him, thankfully more for being a Chosen these days than anything else. He turned to see a teenager lurching down towards them. He was grinning wildly and threw himself casually into the seat next to Ken. 

“Yes,” Ken murmured. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you…” 

“Yeah, you probably wouldn’t,” the teenager agreed a little too cheerfully. “Tachibana Noriaki. We played together when we were kids. Before your brother -” He waved one hand in lieu of finishing the sentence. Ken held back a flinch and managed to nod. He could think about Osamu without it hurting much these days. But he still didn’t like hearing him mentioned without warning. 

Tachibana regarded Daisuke carefully before he looked back at Ken. “I’ve seen you on the news. So you grew up to be a hero, huh?” He grinned at the way Ken blushed. Daisuke leaned forward. 

“Was there ever any doubt? He’s the _best_ hero!” Daisuke declared without a breath of hesitation. 

Tachibana grinned, displayed teeth that looked as if he had been sponsored by a toothpaste company. “Well, when he was a kid, I wouldn’t have guessed. Little kid drawing all the time.” He shrugged before he reached over and dug one hand into Ken’s hair, grabbing onto his ear. “And with these ears -” He pulled on the tips. 

Ken jerked away, eyes going wide, and Wormmon glared at Tachibana. “Stop touching Ken-chan!” He snapped, ready to spew out silk at a moment’s notice. 

Tachibana tilted his head. “Man, what’s the problem? You’ve see those ears, haven’t you? How can you resist?” 

“Pretty darned easily,” Daisuke snapped back. “Leave him alone.” 

Tachibana drew his hand back. “If you’re gonna be that way about it. Just trying to have fun.” He snorted and got up, walking to a seat farther away from them. 

Ken leaned back on his own chair, tucking his hair back over his ears, trying so very hard not to tremble and not doing a very good job of it. Daisuke rested one hand on Ken’s. 

“You okay?” 

Ken nodded a little. His ears weren’t just a bit larger and pointed, they were _sensitive_. Having someone yank on them like that would leave them red and burning for ages. 

Daisuke grumbled a few words that Ken suspected his parents wouldn’t be happy to hear on his lips. They were in English, and he had a surprisingly good accent. Ken tried not to feel so very warm inside from knowing that was because Daisuke was upset over something happening to him. 

Before Daisuke said anything else beyond the few profanities, both of their phones started beeping, alerting them to a text. Ken glanced at his and blinked. He hadn’t expected this at all. 

“A meeting?” All of the original twelve Chosen being called together by Koushiro. He wasn’t sure of what this meant, but it had to be something important. Izumi Koushiro wouldn’t gather them all without a very good reason. “Change of plans?” 

Daisuke sighed, tucking his hands behind his head and pouting. “I guess. We can hit up the ramen place afterward? If it’s not too late.” 

Ken nodded. He didn’t want to lose this special time with Daisuke, no matter what the issue was. 

At least they were on the right train to get to Izumi’s place. Ken wondered what they would need to talk about. Some sort of new villain? They didn’t really have regular meetings when there wasn’t someone they needed to fight. He wasn’t even sure if they’d had those when there had been. He hadn’t exactly asked back then. 

He ran one hand over Wormmon’s back and tried to ignore the way his ears ached. He’d been so looking forward to having a pleasant trip to a new ramen place with Daisuke. Today wasn’t turning out to be his day. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Tachibana is probably Uchiyama’s second cousin or something. Maybe I’ll make that my canon for them. Anyway, I didn’t mean this as a chaptered piece but I ran out of time and writing juice to make it a one-shot. The full hurt/comfort will be there by the end. As will how the breeds work into this. Though I’m sure you can guess, if you know what Piemon looks like.   
**Extra Notes:** As of August 5, 2020, this story is on indefinite hiatus. I intended to restart in September, but YGO GX Month came up and it gave me ideas. So, once that’s taken care of, I’ll return to my WIPs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Secret of Ears  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** 2-5|| **Words:** 1,621|| **Total:** 3,123  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke/Kaiser x Daisuke, H21, K rated; Include The Word Boot Camp, #48, strap; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #28, 8,326; DaiKen Week 2020, hurt/comfort  
 **Notes:** This is a breeds-AU. Unlike most breeds Aus… well, we’ll get into that. But Ken, Daisuke, and Miyako aren’t aware of what they are yet. That will come soon. This is set about four years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon & ignores Tri, Kizuna, & the epilogue – except for Ken and Daisuke going on ramen dates.  
 **Summary:** Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates. It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.

* * *

“Everyone here?” Daisuke glanced around as he asked, wanting to get this done as soon as possible. If some other evil Digimon thought they could wreck his ramen date with Ken, they were _seriously_ mistaken. 

But it didn’t seem to be that kind of a meeting. At least, he didn’t think anyone was upset or worried. Koushiro kept most of his attention on his laptop, glancing up now and then to interject something into whatever conversations were going on. Yamato lounged back against the wall, his eyes half-closed, and Daisuke wondered if he were taking a nap. 

The others were sort of scattered around the room. Koushiro didn’t have a lot of space here – Daisuke wondered if they should start trying to meet up outside if this kind of thing became regular – but they all managed to make do. The fact all of their Digimon were there made it even more crowded. Those who could perched on the higher points of furniture, while others stayed with their partners, such as Wormmon on Ken’s lap. 

“Yes,” Koushiro said, looking up again. “This is an important meeting. I’ve been doing research and I think it’s time that I informed you four of the situation.” 

His eyes flicked from Daisuke to Ken to Iori to Miyako. Miyako blinked, head tilted. 

“What’s the problem? And why us?” 

“Because you’re the ones who don’t know,” Taichi said. He lounged next to Yamato, as comfortable with him as Daisuke was with Ken. 

Daisuke wondered if he’d have the chance to talk to Yamato about Ken and his little issue about his ears. Maybe once Koushiro told them whatever it was he wanted to tell them. 

“Exactly.” Koushiro cleared his throat. “We first learned of this ourselves during our own adventure. We wondered if the same thing would happen for you, but apparently it didn’t. We don’t know if that was because of the fact we spent months continuously in the Digital World or what. But regardless, I’ve done enough checking to be certain. You’ve probably already seen the signs yourself and just not known what it signified.” 

Miyako twitched and Hawkmon peered down at her worriedly. Ken shifted lightly, one hand on Wormmon’s head. 

“Could you get to the point?” Daisuke asked, sharing a quick glance with V-mon. He hadn’t had lunch yet and he wanted to get to his ramen. 

Yamato sighed and straightened up. “Not all of us are human. Or not entirely human, anyway. Me, Sora, and Jou are all half-Digimon.” 

Iori blinked, eyes widening a little. Miyako paled while Ken stared as if he’d never heard something like that before. 

Daisuke shook his head. “Great joke, is that it? Cause there’s ramen calling my – what the-!” 

Right in the middle of his question, Yamato held out one hand and twitched it a tiny fraction. At once a long, perfectly balanced sword appeared in it. The edge looked sharp enough to cut the wind and he handled it as if it were a part of himself. 

“Not joking.” Yamato said calmly. Far too calmly for someone who’d just pulled a sword out of thin air. “I wish I was. But I am what I am – we all are.” 

Koushiro coughed a bit delicately. “As for myself, I am actually a full-blooded Digimon. My father is Leomon and my mother is Chiemon – you’ve never met her. She has a tendency to remain out of sight for a great many reasons.” 

He sighed, then continued. “All of us have some sort of – marker, one might say. An indication as to who and what we are. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes it isn’t.” 

“Never let Koushiro get anywhere near catnip,” Jou said, a faint grin flickering over his lips. “The last time that happened, it wasn’t pretty.” 

Daisuke hadn’t ever known that someone could blush as much as Koushiro did just then. At the same time, a small twitch of curiosity shifted deep inside. He wanted to ask if V-mon had known, if any of them had known. What did they know that he didn’t? 

Sora reached one hand up to remove her hat and flicked her hair aside. Daisuke and Miyako both leaned in more closely and Miyako gasped. 

“Horns! You’ve got horns!” Miyako raised one hand, starting to reach for what she saw, then dropped it quickly. “Sorry.” 

Sora shrugged, reaching up to rub the base of the tiny horns that protruded from her skull. Her hair was enough to cover them, especially with the hat there. 

“Devimon was my father,” she said. “Yamato, Jou, and I – we’re half-Virus types.” 

“I’m half Data and half Vaccine,” Koushiro added. “Our ancestry determines what attacks we have and other factors as well. But we can go into that later.” 

He glanced at Jou, who shrugged and opened his mouth wide. His canines gleamed bright, lengthening and sharpening until there wasn’t any doubt at all what they were or who his sire could have been. 

“You’re a vampire,” Iori breathed, looking somewhat torn between fear and awe. Armadimon pressed against him, watching carefully. 

Daisuke remembered. He’d only ever seen one Digimon vampire before. “That guy – Vamdemon.” 

“That’s right,” Jou agreed, his fangs going back to normal teeth. “And I do need blood, but I never take it from anyone unwilling.” He made a face. “I wish I didn’t but if I don’t, it can get very bad.” 

“How bad?” Miyako wondered. Jou shook his head. 

“Don’t ask. You _don’t_ want to know.” 

Daisuke counted to himself. Sora had horns. Jou had fangs. Koushiro had a weakness to catnip. He pressed his lips together for a second before he looked at Yamato. 

“Did you get something besides a pretty sword?” If they were going to tell them, then Daisuke wanted to know _everything_. 

Yamato flicked his blade away before he straightened up. “Yup.” He pulled his hair back from his ears and Daisuke held back squealing by sheer force of will. 

_I was right!_ He glanced over to Ken, who hadn’t said a word all this time, ready to point out in triumph that he wasn't the only one, that someone else had ears like his. 

But Ken stared at Yamato’s ears and grew even paler. He swallowed briefly and managed to drag up words from somewhere, sounding as if he’d fought to form each one of them. 

“Who is your – parent?” 

Yamato regarded him thoughtfully before he answered. “Piemon. The leader of the Dark Masters.” 

Ken sank back down, swallowing. He didn’t meet Daisuke’s eyes and looked ready to bolt out the door at a moment’s notice. Daisuke would follow him if he did. Whatever was going on, Ken would have to know that Daisuke was there for him. 

But Koushiro wasn’t done yet. “The major reason that we decided to tell you this is because you deserve to know. We’ve kept it secret for reasons.” 

“Me,” Ken murmured. No one had to ask what he meant by that. 

“That was it, in the beginning,” Yamato agreed calmly. “Though if you really want to know, the Rings and Spirals wouldn’t have an effect on me. I’m an Ultimate – we’re always the same level as our Digimon parent.” 

“I’m an Adult-level,” Sora added. “Jou and Koushiro are both Perfects.” 

“And I can evolve, though I prefer not to,” Koushiro added. “But the most important reason for letting you know now – because you aren’t human either. At least, Iori is. But Ken, Daisuke, Miyako – you’re not.” 

Ken grew even paler and Daisuke quickly rested one hand on his. Ken stared at him, and Daisuke smiled back, trying to put every ounce of his caring for Ken into the expression. For a moment, it seemed to work. 

“If they’re part Digimon,” Iori wondered, “then who are their parents? What sort of tells do they have?” 

“I think I know,” Miyako said, cheeks flaming for a second. “At least I know what the tell on _me_ is.” 

Everyone stared at her. She swallowed, then pulled her sleeves up. It wasn’t visible at first, but then Daisuke took a deeper look. His first thought was some kind of tattoos hidden by her clothing. Then slowly, bit by bit, what he saw rose up. 

“You’ve got _feathers_!” He breathed, hardly believing his own eyes. Miyako nodded. 

“I can’t fly or anything but they’re there. They started coming in a few months ago. I thought it was just something to do with the Digital World.” 

“Well, it kind of is.” Daisuke pointed out. He jerked his head around to look at Koushiro. “Let me guess, some kind of a bird Digimon?” 

“Yes,” Koushiro agreed. “In fact, Hououmon, the great phoenix. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I’ve scanned and done research on all of you and that’s what the Analyzer says.” 

Daisuke wondered what _his_ tell might be. He’d never noticed anything like that. Maybe it was on his back? Or maybe it was something else? He couldn’t wait to find out. Would he be able to attack? What did being part Digimon _do_ for a person? 

As those thoughts flew through Daisuke’s mind, Koushiro turned his attention towards Ken. “Would you like me to tell you?” 

Ken pressed his lips together before he slowly shook his head. “I think I already know.” He tensed for a few seconds before he pushed his hair away from his ears. Daisuke knew that he _never_ did that. He’d only found out by accident and in the first few seconds Ken knew he knew, Ken made him promise never to tell anyone. As if he ever _would_. 

Everyone stared at his pale, pointed ears, the near-twin of Yamato’s. Yamato regarded them quietly before he nodded. 

“Hello, brother.” 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Okay, here we go again! The next update will be on Wednesday, and every other day until this one is finished.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Secret of Ears  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** 3-5|| **Words:** 1,702|| **Total:** 4,825  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke/Kaiser x Daisuke, H21, K rated; Include The Word Boot Camp, #48, strap; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #28, 8,326; DaiKen Week 2020, hurt/comfort  
 **Notes:** This is a breeds-AU. Unlike most breeds Aus… well, we’ll get into that. But Ken, Daisuke, and Miyako aren’t aware of what they are yet. That will come soon. This is set about four years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon & ignores Tri, Kizuna, & the epilogue – except for Ken and Daisuke going on ramen dates.  
 **Summary:** Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates. It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.

* * *

Ken tugged his hair back down over his ears, quickly arranging it so the tips couldn’t be seen. He ducked his head down and tried to get his thoughts sorted out. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted them to be – nothing like this had ever happened to him before. 

_I have a brother. Again._ He couldn’t say he was all that fond of the reason why. He’d never met Piemon and everything he heard told him that he didn’t want to. But he knew Yamato was a good person and from what he’d heard from Takeru, a good brother, if kind of overprotective at some times. 

He swallowed and glanced up again towards Yamato. “Hi,” he muttered. He truly wasn’t certain of how to react to any of this. A tiny part of him had always felt as if the Digital World were far more his home than the human world. He’d attributed it to the lingering legacy of the Kaiser and did his best not to pay attention to it. He wanted to stay with his parents – the parents that he knew and loved. 

“We can talk later,” Yamato assured him. Ken managed a quick nod. He didn’t know what he wanted to say but he knew that he wanted to talk. 

Koushiro coughed politely. “Now. Daisuke-san. You’re a very special case.” 

Ken could have told him that. He'd always known there was something different about Daisuke, from the first moment he’d laid eyes on him. He’d not thought about what it was, only that it attracted him in multiple ways. 

Daisuke tilted his head, curiosity evident in every breath he took. “What do you mean?” 

“Have you ever noticed anything unusual about yourself?” Koushiro asked, bright black eyes resting on him. Daisuke tilted his head backwards now, face scrunched up. 

“Well, not really.” 

Koushiro nodded. “Exactly. You don’t have any physical tells. You _blend in_. But you are very clearly a Digimon.” He turned his laptop around to display a Digimon Analyzer screen. Everyone leaned a bit closer to read it, even Ken. 

_Actual name unknown. Level: Perfect. Ancestry: unknown. Status: Created Digimon._

Daisuke blinked, shaking his head. “Created?” That didn’t make any more sense to Ken than it did to Daisuke, or any of the others. 

“I don’t have the full information on your nature as of yet. I’m hoping as you develop more, we can learn together,” Koushiro told him, a tiny smile on his lips. “But what I have managed to learn from the Analyzer and the scans is that some unknown force or being brought you into existence. You were crafted – for hat purpose we don’t know.” 

Daisuke slowly blinked even more as the information sank in. Ken bit his lip. He’d never been so glad that he learned this _now_ and not in his younger days. He knew exactly what he would have done with that knowledge. It wouldn’t have been pretty, at all. 

Koushiro continued. “It is possible that Gennai knows more about this. I’ve been trying to get in touch with him but he hasn’t answered me as of yet.” 

Daisuke finally shook his head. “Someone _made_ me? I mean, like, put a bunch of stuff in a bowl, threw it in the blender, and hit a button and out came me?” 

“Something to that effect,” Jou agreed. “But I think with perhaps more detail.” 

“More like someone wrote a computer program, similar to an egg-hatched Digimon, and shaped it into the form of a human, so you look the most human of us all, but you are a Perfect level Digimon with the capability of evolving to an Ultimate. Exactly what your powers will be I don’t know yet. We’ll only know what you can do after you all begin to develop them,” Koushiro added. He glanced at Ken. “With you as the exception. Because you and Yamato are half-brothers, you will probably share certain powers and abilities. Which ones we can’t know yet.” 

Ken nodded. Honestly, all of this left him rather numb. It didn’t feel real – or perhaps it would be more right to say that it felt _too_ real. As if he’d known all along and only now heard it put into actual words. He hadn’t made any real progress on trying to figure out what he wanted to think about any of this. 

_I’m half-Digimon. My – sire – was an evil Digimon who tried to take over the Digital World._

Somewhere in the very back of his mind he wondered if Piemon would have been proud of his efforts as the Kaiser. His stomach churned and he closed his eyes, tightening his fists. His fingers crushed into his palms and he forced every thought he had to center on Daisuke instead of his own problems. 

“Is there anything that I can do to help?” Ken wanted to know. He didn’t have the same talents that he once had but he had a lot of experience and he knew a lot about Daisuke. Whatever he could do to uncover answers, he would do. Daisuke deserved to know about himself as much as they all did. 

“We can use every hand we can get on this, actually,” Koushiro told him, warming Ken’s heart with a quick smile. It wasn’t nearly as bright or warm as one of Daisuke’s, but that wasn’t a surprise. There were very few smiles that could reach the same level of warmth and pleasure that Daisuke did with just a quirk of his lips. 

Daisuke laced his fingers behind his head, rocking back and forth as he thought. “Mom and Dad have pictures of me as a baby,” he said. “I wonder if they know about me.” 

“No, they do not.” An unexpected voice spoke. Everyone shifted backwards as Koushiro’s laptop screen glowed a little, and out of it there emerged Gennai. He looked much as he had the first time that Ken had ever seen him – a young man wearing a brown robe, with a hood that he’d just lowered to reveal his face. Takeru had mentioned once that the Gennai that they first knew had been an old man, but he’d never gotten the full story on why Gennai now appeared young 

“Gennai!” Koushiro’s eyes lit up at the sight of him. “I wasn’t expecting you!” 

“I’m sorry that I didn’t contact you sooner.” Gennai said with an apologetic tilt of his head. “I would have answered your e-mail but other matters held me back.” He didn’t seem inclined to explain what those other matters were as he returned his attention to Daisuke. Ken wondered if he actually looked nervous or if that were his own worries coloring his thoughts. 

“You know something about me?” Daisuke asked, eyes open and eager to learn about himself. Gennai nodded, settling down into the chair that Koushiro vacated. 

“I was the one who located you when you were still freshly made, and brought you to Earth to grow up, to keep you safe from those who would have attempted to use your unusual nature for their own purposes.” Gennai regarded him quietly before he continued. “You are a special case, more so than any other half-Digimon or born Digimon that I’ve ever encountered Those are few and far between enough. But you – you were created for one purpose. A purpose I suspect that you would not wish to fulfill.” 

“What’s that?” 

“First, let me explain about who it was that created you.” Gennai turned towards the older Chosen. “I’m certain you all remember Apocalymon.” 

Taichi shifted a little. “As if we could ever forget.” 

That was something that Ken didn’t think he’d heard about. The others had told them stories over the years about the various enemies they’d fought, but he didn’t remember that name. 

Miyako must have felt the same way, since the next words out of her mouth were, “Who is that?” 

“A powerful Digimon, created from the remnants of all of those Digimon who failed to achieve proper evolution,” Gennai replied. “For eons his existence was hidden from everyone, and was mostly responsible for the human world and Digimon World having time dilation between the two. But he did more than exist – he desired. He desired not merely the end of all things, but to ensure that no matter what, he would always be able to achieve his goals.” 

Ken liked what he heard even less with every word that came from Gennai’s mouth. Daisuke didn’t look as if he were enjoying this either. 

“To achieve that end, he observed Digimon and human life. Behind his firewall he could see everything but affect very little. I think in some ways – he was also bored. He had little else to do aside from put together the bits of data had drifted to him. He was able to fuse them, to take them apart, and make them into what he wanted them to be. So bit by bit, he spun together a new vessel for his consciousness. It would only be useful if his body failed him, or were destroyed.” 

Gennai regarded the elder Chosen then. None of them looked very happy at this point. Ken wasn’t surprised. He knew very little about what they were talking about, but clearly this wasn’t a battle they enjoyed recounting. 

“He was destroyed. But long before that, I had found his location, and I could detect the presence of another being in there. It wasn’t easy to get in there and find a way to retrieve that new being, and I did not at all expect that what I found was the form of a human child – or so it looked to the eye. I could also feel the presence of enormous Digital power. Apocalymon had created a son. The perfect vessel for his essence, to carry on his legacy of destruction when and if he were defeated. The vessel wasn’t ever intended to develop a consciousness or a personality of its own, or to become its own independent person. And yet you did all of that, and so much more.” 

Once more he returned to Daisuke. “You are his son, Motomiya Daisuke. You are the son of Apocalymon.” 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** So now they know! At least the basics. Still two more chapters and I hope you didn’t forget Tachibana from the first chapter. I have Plans! See you Friday with chapter 3 !


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Secret of Ears  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** 4-5|| **Words:** 1,702|| **Total:** 6,527  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke/Kaiser x Daisuke, H21, K rated; Include The Word Boot Camp, #48, strap; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #28, 8,326; DaiKen Week 2020, hurt/comfort  
 **Notes:** This is a breeds-AU. Unlike most breeds Aus… well, we’ll get into that. But Ken, Daisuke, and Miyako aren’t aware of what they are yet. That will come soon. This is set about four years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon & ignores Tri, Kizuna, & the epilogue – except for Ken and Daisuke going on ramen dates.  
 **Summary:** Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates. It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.

* * *

Daisuke tried to wrap his brain around what Gennai said. He’d been _created_? It had felt kind of funny when he’d first heard it from Koushiro but to hear all the details like this – it wasn’t all that funny anymore. 

His stomach churned a little bit as he stared down at his hands, then looked up at the others. 

“So what does all this mean?” He wanted to know. “I mean – I’m not going to start wanting to tear apart reality or something, am I?” 

“Unlikely. Gennai shook his head. “As I said, while you weren’t _intended_ to develop a mind or personality of your own, you did. Which means you make your own choices, just like any other human or Digimon. But you will have to be wary of your dark side.” 

“Dark side?” Miyako asked, eyes narrowing a trifle. “What’s that?” 

“Just what he said,” Yamato answered. “All of us who have Viral blood have a dark side. The part of us that’s pure viral and takes after our Viral parent.” He twisted his lips for a heartbeat. “All of us have Digimon names. Mine is Chiguumon. But my dark side is Anbumon. They’re – not quite different people, not quite us.” 

Jou nodded. “My name is Jitsumon. Dark side is Fuseiimon.” He made a face as annoyed as Yamato’s. “He drinks a lot more blood than I do. I do it because I need to. He does it because he _likes_ to.” 

“Aikoumon,” Sora quasi-introduced herself. “And my other side is Akuenmon. She’s not really someone you want to meet.” 

Ken’s ears were naturally paler than the rest of him. Right now, Daisuke thought that the rest of him wanted to catch up to his ears in paleness. He swallowed. 

“So what about us? Or the others?” His eyes flicked between Miyako and Koushiro. 

“We don’t have dark sides. I’m Vaccine and Data, Miyako is Vaccine,” Koushiro told him. “As for the two of you, I can’t honestly be sure. You’ll have to encounter those sides to know their names. As for your own names – you’ll learn them. They’re written into your data.” 

Daisuke wasn’t that worried about it. Gennai had just _said_ that he could make his own decisions, so he wasn’t going to fret about a so-called dark side. What he worried about was Ken and what Ken was probably thinking. Ken had _mostly_ accepted his past and moved on from it. But to hear that there was a dark side in him just waiting to get out… 

Nope. Daisuke wasn’t going to let Ken worry about that. He’d not done all that work to get him to feel good about himself to let it all go to waste now. 

So he stood up. “Well, thanks for letting us know. Come on, Ken. I want some ramen. You want ramen?” 

Ken was on his feet a moment later. “Yes. I would like ramen.” 

“Before you go,” Koushiro spoke quickly. “You need to be aware of this. Your powers are linked to the Digital World. The more time you spend there, the easier they will come to you. But now that you’re aware of them, they could manifest at any point. The key seems to be strong emotion. Watch yourselves.” 

Daisuke didn’t waste another moment. He wrapped one hand around Ken’s, and wasn’t even remotely surprised that Ken’s hand shook in his grip. 

He squeezed Ken’s fingers and smiled at him. This was weird, yeah. But it wasn’t anything that they couldn’t all get through together, just like they did everything else. 

* * *

They settled back onto the train, neither of them saying anything about what they’d found out. Ken stared up at the train’s roof, his eyes half-closed, his hand still firmly in Daisuke’s. Daisuke’s fingers itched to bury themselves into Ken’s hair and do everything he could to soothe Ken. 

He held back, though. He wasn’t going to bother Ken’s hair or even get close to his ears in public. He’d made a promise. 

They stayed quiet all the way until they were in the ramen shop that Daisuke had wanted to go to today. Their partners stayed with them, just as quiet, Wormmon snuggling around Ken’s shoulders, V-mon leaning a little against Daisuke’s side. 

It was V-mon who broke the silence. “I always kind of thought you smelled like a Digimon,” he said. “But I thought that it was because of me.” 

Daisuke blinked before a laugh broke out of him. “Guess not.” He playfully tapped at V-mon’s nose. “Guess you need to get your nose checked.” 

V-mon pouted, playfully whacking back at him. Ken chuckled a bit, but it sounded strained. Still, the ice had been broken. 

“I don’t care who your sire was,” Wormmon said, squirming around so he could stare soulfully up into Ken’ eyes. “You’re my Ken-chan no matter what.” 

Ken’s cheeks reddened and he stared down into his ramen bowl. “I don’t want to be like that again,” he murmured, hands clenching together. He swallowed for a second. “Do we know – do we know anymore if it was the Spore or if it was – me?” 

“Does it matter?” Daisuke asked, shrugging. “You’re not like that now and you’re not going to be ever again. You _know_ better. You’re not going to hurt anyone innocent ever again.” 

He wasn’t surprised that Ken was worked up over it. He’d probably stayed worked up over it for a while. Even with Daisuke and Wormmon and all of the others telling him over and over that he’d grown and didn’t need to be worried about it. Ken worried. It was what he did. 

“Hey!” A vaguely familiar voice declared and someone dropped himself down on Ken’s other side. Daisuke glanced over to see Tachibana Noriaki sitting there, flashing that brilliant white-toothed smile. Daisuke wondered if he should ask which toothpaste company sponsored him. “Didn’t think I’d see you guys here.” 

Ken tensed at once, shifting to be closer to Daisuke. “Why not?” 

“I thought you were gong on a date,” Tachibana teased. “You are dating, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah.” Daisuke wasn’t going to deny that they were an item. “And we are on a date.” 

Tachibana tilted his head. “You’re going out for ramen as a date? I took my girlfriend to the gardens. Saw some really awesome flowers there.” His eyes glowed warmly. “You should do something like that. Or to a concert.” He stopped, eyes suddenly focused on Ken’s ears. “Or would that be too much for those poor sensitive ears of yours?” 

One hand flashed out and dug into Ken’s hair, squeezing his ears. He didn’t let go, even as Ken squealed and started to bat at him. 

“Aw, it’s not that bad! You’re not a little kid anymore, are you? You should be used to people playing with your ears, especially if you’ve got a boyfriend!” Tachibana grinned, light glinting off of his teeth. 

Daisuke was on his feet already. He didn’t normally get too angry; he’d never really felt the need. It had to be something horrible to really trip his temper. Seeing this jerk fondle Ken’s ears like that, when Ken so very clearly wanted to be anywhere but here, did it. 

“Let him go!” Daisuke snapped, and he wondered oddly why his voice sounded different, deeper, darker. Not for a moment did he think about what he’d been told earlier. 

At least, not until a gleam of something caught his eye and he saw a long, sharp sword resting in Ken’s hand. Ken’s grip tightened and when he turned towards Daisuke, Daisuke could see red flames dancing in the back of them. 

They’d been told the process would take time. It seemed that time wasn’t very long at all. 

Part of him – a part that he’d never been aware of before – stirred. Those rage-spawned flames were so _pretty_. Not that anything about Ak – Ken – was ever _not_ pretty, but there was something special about them regardless. He wanted to curl up in those flames and bask there forever. 

Instead, he rested one hand on top of Ken’s, where the sword waited. He shook his head. “No.” 

Tachibana either hadn’t ‘heard or wasn’t paying attention. He rubbed harder. “Hey, can you hear really well with these things? They look so weird, you should get some kind of benefit from them, right?” 

As fast as Daisuke was, Ken had always been faster. He leaped to his feet, knocking Tachibana away with one hand, and brought his sword around to point at the other’s throat. 

“Touch me again,” he growled, voice sounding far too much like the Kaiser, “and I won’t hesitate.” The tip of his sword rested on Tachibana’s throat. “And I won’t _care_.” 

Daisuke strolled to stand beside Ken. “And I’ll give him an alibi. Anything he does, you pushed him to it. We told you to stop. You’re not listening. Either leave us alone or pay the price.” 

Tachibana looked, to tell the truth, as if he were about to wet himself on the spot. Daisuke wouldn’t have been surprised. In point of fact, he thought it would have been hilarious. 

Wormmon hadn’t moved from around Ken’s shoulders. He rested one pod on Ken carefully. “You don’t want to hurt him, Ken-chan,” he murmured. “He’s not worth it.” 

“No, he’s not.” Ken replied. “But if he doesn’t leave me alone, I will.” 

Tachibana turned paler even than Ken’s ears. He stumbled back, eyes flicking all over. “You’re insane!” He spat the words out before ducking away and fleeing for the door as fast as he could. 

They were the only ones there at the time – they’d stayed long enough at Koushiro's that most of the usual crowd had gone home. The ramen chef had stepped into the back. The timing really couldn’t have been better. 

Daisuke closed his hand once more on Ken’s. “He’s gone,” he murmured. “You can relax now. It’s all right.” 

Ken stared at him,, the bright ruby flames still burning. Then he swallowed, staring down at the sword as if he’d never seen it before in his life. Daisuke guessed that he really hadn’t. 

“What did I do?” Ken whispered brokenly. “What did I _do_ , Daisuke?” 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** One chapter left to go! Sunday wraps it all up. I rather enjoyed writing the confrontation between Ken and Tachibana. Tachibana will probably run screaming if he so much as spies Ken across the street now. He’s lucky Akogimon didn’t fully awaken. Akogimon would have skewered him and laughed about. Think Kaiser, but worse. Much, much worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Secret of Ears  
 **Characters:** Ken, Daisuke|| **Ship:** Ken x Daisuke  
 **Chapter:** 5-5|| **Words:** 1,799|| **Total:** 8,326  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Ken x Daisuke/Kaiser x Daisuke, H21, K rated; Include The Word Boot Camp, #48, strap; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #28, 8,326; DaiKen Week 2020, hurt/comfort  
 **Notes:** This is a breeds-AU. Unlike most breeds Aus… well, we’ll get into that. But Ken, Daisuke, and Miyako aren’t aware of what they are yet. That will come soon. This is set about four years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon & ignores Tri, Kizuna, & the epilogue – except for Ken and Daisuke going on ramen dates.  
 **Summary:** Ken and Daisuke are going on one of their ramen dates. It all should have been happy – if it weren’t for Ken’s ears.

* * *

Ken trembled, trying not to let loose the scream that lurked behind his lips. His hands shook, but the sword didn’t vanish. It remained in his grip, as comfortable there as if he’d been born to carry it. 

He closed his eyes and shook his head. He hadn’t felt that kind of rage in years. He’d thought it had burned out of him forever. Though this was different in its own way, not quite something that he could put his finger on. It wasn’t the righteous rage that he’d felt after being the Kaiser, a mix of guilt and other emotions. 

This had been hate. This had been a cold blaze that lit in his heart and nothing had seemed capable of calming it down. And why? Because someone had – had touched his ears. Twisted and tugged at them, and they still burned, still throbbed, and he wanted to go home and put some lotion on them and curl up in his bed and stay there _forever_. 

But Daisuke stood there, staring at him with worry and concern evident in every feature, one hand reaching out to him. Wormmon remained firm on his shoulders, snuggling against him, utterly unafraid. 

They weren’t afraid of him. They weren’t angry at him. They weren’t mad that this happened. He wasn’t sure of why they weren’t, since he was furious at himself. 

**Why would you be? Why would they be? Akigaramon is a Virus, just like you are.**

It wasn’t the Kaiser’s voice, but it was very similar. Older, stronger, deeper. It echoed deep in the depths of Ken’s mind. He shook his head. He didn’t want to listen to this. 

**Of course you don’t. Because I tell you what you don’t want to hear. You are me – I am you. The Kaiser was your childhood – nothing more than a baby’s tantrum. _I_ am Akogimon – the son of Piemon. I am far more than anything you have ever been. **

**Yet.**

Ken shook his head even harder, doing his best to ignore the voice, to stare at Daisuke, raising one hand to touch Wormmon. “I’m fine,” he choked, the words feeling broken and brittle. “I’m fine. Really.” 

Daisuke crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Ken. “I don’t believe you. You don’t look fine.” 

Ken didn’t believe himself. Not by a long shot. But he didn’t want them to know that he’d heard a voice that said such horrible things. 

**Why not? You were told about me. You know who I am. Your dark side. The part of you that is true and pure Virus.** The soft laugh echoed inside of his head. **Do you want to deny it?**

He did. He really did; he wanted to think that everything Koushiro had told him had been false somehow. He didn’t _want_ to be part Viral. He really didn’t want to bring this up to his parents. He was more than willing to take a bet that his mother hadn’t ever known and he didn’t want to know _why_ she didn’t know. 

Ken pressed his lips together, straightened up, and stared down at the sword. He didn’t want it there anymore. He hadn’t wanted it there to start with. Tachibana wasn’t going to bother him anymore. He’d probably never bother anyone ever again. 

He flexed his hand. He told the sword that he didn’t need it – that he was safe. That everything was all right. 

Slowly the sword faded away. But Ken couldn’t shake the feeling that it was there if he needed it again. His power had begun to awaken and he would have to deal with it. 

_It’s not the only thing I’ve ever had to deal with._

“Ken?” Daisuke’s hand rested on the shoulder that Wormmon wasn’t on. “Ken?” 

Ken swallowed and steeled himself to look into Daisuke’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. He hadn’t meant to ignore Daisuke. But when that voice got started, it was hard to listen to anything else. 

There was another laugh at that, one only he could hear. He pretended that he didn’t. 

“Come on. Done with your ramen?” Daisuke asked, voice ever so soft and gentle. Ken nodded. “All right. Let’s go back to my place. My parents aren’t there right now. It’ll be just us.” 

That sounded so very good. Whatever else they talked about, Ken didn’t want to do it here, where they could be overheard. 

Daisuke made sure they’d paid properly for everything and then they headed out. Wormmon remained a warm, comforting presence around his neck, and that voice remained silent. Maybe it would stay that way forever now. 

**No. I won’t.**

Of course. That wasn’t the kind of luck that he had. But at least the silence remained _mostly_ unbroken until they reached the Motomiya apartment. Jun had moved out the year before, attending college, and he’d started coming over more often since then. 

Daisuke pointed towards the couch. “You sit there,” he ordered, and Ken obeyed right away. Wormmon shifted down to rest in his lap and V-mon, at Daisuke’s gesture, settled beside him on the couch, while Daisuke headed into the kitchen and did mysterious things that involved banging and a familiar scent that slowly filled the apartment. 

He wasn’t surprised at all when Daisuke brought over two cups of tea, joining him on the couch. One eyebrow flickered up in curiosity. 

“Mugicha?” He’d had the barley tea before but not here. Daisuke nodded. 

“Mom likes it. Says it helps with her digestion and makes sure she doesn’t gain too much weight.” Daisuke shrugged, offering one of the cups to him. “It’s supposed to help you get calmer, too.” 

Now that Ken thought he could deal with. He accepted the cup and sipped quietly, letting the tension ease out of his shoulders and gut. He wanted to think that it hadn’t happened at all but with that voice whispering deep in his thoughts, he knew he couldn’t do that. 

“I can hear him,” Ken whispered as he reached the bottom of his teacup. “Remember what the others said? Our – our dark sides?” 

Daisuke blinked, then nodded. “You can hear it? Him? Whatever?” 

“Yes.” Ken stared deep into the cup. “I hate this. I don’t want this at all. I want to be – normal.” 

Daisuke stared into his own cup, then glanced at Wormmon and V-mon before back to Ken. “Ken – we’re not. It’s not just being part Digimon.” He nodded towards their partners. “I mean, more people are getting Digimon, but we’re Chosen. That makes it _different_. We’re always going to be different from everyone else. This is just a different way of being different. 

Ken had to nod. Daisuke tended to see right to the heart of things. But he still wasn’t done. 

“If the others can learn to live with what they are, and be that _casual_ about it, then so can we.” Daisuke’s grin lit up, brighter than the sun. “Sure, it’s going to take some effort. We’re probably going to screw up along the way. But what have we learned already?” From the twitch of his lips alone, Ken knew what the answer was. 

“That it doesn’t matter if we make mistakes, as long as we keep trying to fix them and to do better.” 

Daisuke nodded. “Exactly! So any time we make a mistake learning about this, we just work harder to do better. Besides, look on the bright side. You’ve got a new brother to get to know.” Then his attention flicked to Ken’s ears. “And you know why your ears are like that.” 

He couldn’t help but nod at that. “Right.” A faint hint of red crept up his cheeks. “Could you – would you check to make sure they’re all right? They still hurt some.” He’d never trusted anyone else to touch his ears. He’d never even wanted doctors to do it. 

But this was Daisuke. If he couldn’t trust Daisuke, then he couldn't trust anyone at all. 

Daisuke blinked briefly, then nodded. “If that’s what you want.” 

Ken did. Mostly the pain from Tachibana’s manhandling had died down but he would rather be safe than sorry. He would have asked Wormmon, but Wormmon didn’t have fingers. Not to mention he rather liked how Wormmon felt being so warm and cuddly and supportive on his lap. 

Daisuke adjusted himself until he was close enough to take a careful look at Ken’s ears. Then, he raised one hand. He didn’t actually touch anything until Ken nodded his permission. Slowly, gently he brushed his fingers on the shell of the ear, tracing one finger across them ever so gently. 

Ken swallowed, his heart beating faster. The throbbing eased – or perhaps changed. Softer, sweeter, deeper, richer, better. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, trembling. 

That felt good. Better than good – amazing. He’d never imagined that having his ears touched could be like this. 

He stopped bothering to think. What did he need to think for, when everything felt so good? He was here with Daisuke, with V-mon and with Wormmon. His ears felt wonderful now – and so did a lot more of him. 

A soft sound fell from his lips, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of what Daisuke did or because Daisuke _stopped_ doing it. 

“Ken? You okay there?” 

He dragged his eyes open to see Daisuke staring into them. His lips curved into a dazed grin. “Oh. Yes. Wonderful.” 

Daisuke’s expression matched his a breath later. “I think you’ve had a bit much.” 

Ken wanted to protest but that would have involved making words with his mouth and he didn’t want to. Daisuke settled next to him, leaning his head on Ken’s shoulder and sliding one arm around his waist. 

“Get some rest. We can have some fun later,” Daisuke told him. Ken tilted his head to look downward at him. 

“Promise?” He managed that much of a word, at least. Maybe he’d be able to make more after he napped. Though perhaps words weren’t really what he wanted to make. 

**It isn’t. You want -**

Ken slammed a mental door that he’d never even known was there on that voice. Then he focused his thoughts all on Daisuke. At least what thoughts he had. There weren’t many of them right now. 

Daisuke didn’t seem to have noticed anything in the heartbeat that had taken. Instead, he smiled, and Ken thrilled to the feeling of Daisuke’s lips touching the curve of his ear. 

“I promise.” 

Ken didn’t doubt for a second that Daisuke would keep his word. He relaxed, his eyes closing, and breathed deeply. There would be danger ahead, but they were used to that. Like everything else, he would face it with Daisuke and all of his other friends by his side. 

* * *

**The End**

**Notes:** Okay, that’s done! Though I am not ruling out the idea of a sequel that delves more into their powers developing and having to deal with their dark sides. That won’t be for a _long_ time, though. Not until, at a minimum, I finish all my other WIPS.


End file.
